Page 19 - Real Style May 2018

the SeASonS of My Mother
Academy Award winning actress Marcia Gay Harden’s moving story
of her relationship with
her mother follows their adventures their adventures and travels together,
and her mother’s recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
BArrACoon
Zora Neale Hurston may have passed away in 1960, but her contributions to African-American literature live on. From 1927 to 1931 she did a study of the last known survivor of the U.S. slave trade, but it was never published. Now more than half a century after her death, the tragic story of the subject of her interview will finally be told.
WArLight
For his latest novel, Michael Ondaatje takes a look at memory, and how what we think we know may not be the truth. The book follows the story
of two children who
are abandoned by their parents during World War II, and their search for the truth about their caretaker, and their lives.
the MArS rooM
Rachel Kushner’s The Mars Room follows a woman serving two consecutive life sentences in prison. As she explores her new world, she comes to terms with everything she left behind, including her young son.
Above all, though, it’s the laughs Scovell is after with her memoir. “It’s about the three things I love: comedy, writing and equality,” says Scovell, who shares her favourite moments from the book. “I love my Larry David pitch about the pee drinker. The Stephen King story just cracks me up. And then there’s so much sweetness, like when I talk about Joel Hodgson, who created Mystery Science Theater 3000, and [our] friendship.”
Aspiring writers and screenwriters will
also enjoy the book’s many script and scene development breakdowns, and seeing how some of our favourite TV moments came to
be. Scovell shares advice she learned working on the job, such as how The Simpsons taught her that “sometimes sweet and sincere trumps snarky,” and to “never be afraid to write on spec” (meaning without knowing whether or not the piece will be bought).
Now that her truth is out, what’s next for Scovell?
“I would love to direct another movie,” she confesses. “I did just get an idea for a play and never tried writing one of those so that might be something.”
And then there’s the possibility of another book. “This one was Just The Funny Parts, but there’s definitely Just the Angry and Bitter Parts to be written,” she adds with a laugh.
One thing is for sure. No matter the project or the medium, we’re sure it’s Scovell who will get the last laugh.
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